NESHOBA, Miss (Dark Horse Press) — More than 23 years have passed since Pauline Morris Williams disappeared in Neshoba County, but investigators are still searching for answers about what happened to the 44-year-old member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Williams was last seen Aug. 3, 2003, in the Philadelphia and Choctaw area. One account places her at a bridge on Road 155 crossing Beasha Creek, a popular fishing spot near Edinburg. The Charley Project, a missing persons database, lists her last known location as her home in Philadelphia.
What is certain is that Williams never returned home and was never heard from again.
One troubling detail in her disappearance was that Williams failed to pick up her final paycheck from her employer. She was reported missing after the check went unclaimed.
Investigators suspect foul play, but more than two decades later, her disappearance remains unsolved.
At the time she vanished, Williams was 44 years old, stood between 5 feet, 5 inches and 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighed approximately 150 to 170 pounds. She had black hair and brown eyes.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit continues to list Williams as an open missing persons case. The investigation involves the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office and the federal agency’s Missing and Murdered Unit.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has also publicized a $5,000 reward for information leading to Williams’ recovery or the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for her disappearance.
Williams’ case is among the unresolved disappearances of Indigenous people across the United States, a problem that has prompted increased federal attention through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons initiative.
For Williams’ family, the passage of time has brought no publicly reported resolution to the mystery of what happened that August day in 2003.
Anyone with information about Pauline Morris Williams’ disappearance is encouraged to contact:
- Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit: 1-833-560-2065
- Choctaw Law Enforcement Services: 601-656-5711
- Text BIAMMU followed by your tip to 847411
The Bureau of Indian Affairs also accepts tips through its Missing and Murdered Unit.
Missing in Mississippi is an ongoing Darkhorse Press series highlighting missing persons cases across the state in hopes of bringing renewed attention, generating leads and helping families find answers.
